Yuki Handroll Bar serves handroll sets where patrons can order a selection of 3-6 rolls. (Courtesy Yuki Handroll Bar)
Yuki Handroll Bar offers an intimate, immersive sushi experience in Austin, bringing Austinites an authentic omakase-style Japanese menu.
The backstory
Hyo Lim is a longtime restaurateur, serving food across Texas in Houston, Dallas and Austin. Lim has around 15 years of experience working in the food service industry, though he got his start by shadowing his mother-in-law, who owned a Korean grocery store in Miami.
Owner Hyo Lim and Chef Jun have a combined 20 years of experience in Japanese and Korean cuisine, according to the Yuki Handroll Bar website. (Katlynn Fox/ Community Impact)
The first Yuki Handroll Bar—a collaboration between Lim and Chef Jun—launched in June 2023 in Westlake, with a second expansion the following year at Four Points. The restaurants have nearly the same menu, with the Four Points location featuring additional hot dishes and classic sushi rolls to accommodate a more family-oriented clientele, Lim explained.
On the menu
True to its name, the bar offers a selection of handrolls made with bluefin tuna, salmon and yellowtail. The restaurant receives shipments of fish three or more times per week from Japan, Korea, Mexico and Spain.
Yuki Handroll Bar also has a selection of appetizers, including seaweed salad and edamame, as well as nigiri, sashimi and sushi rolls. Sashimi options range from salmon and yellowtail belly to marinated shrimp and fatty tuna belly. Sushi rolls include the shrimp tempura roll, California roll and a range of vegetable rolls.
Another detail
As the first handroll bar in Austin, Lim wanted to bring a unique restaurant experience to locals where they could be part of the process and have a front-row seat to their meal’s preparation.
“There's no tables, only bar-style [seating], and customers can take a look when we make it and they can enjoy our motion, movement [and] knife skills,” Lim said.
The resturant doesn't have a traditional table set-up, and instead allows customers to watch as their meal is prepared before them, creating a more immersive experience. (Katlynn Fox/ Community Impact)
Something to know
Yuki Handroll Bar is catered mainly towards experienced sushi fans with more knowledge about fish quality, Lim said.
“I really appreciate all the support for my restaurant,” Lim said. “They are always welcome. But, just recently, a lot of people left bad reviews because they’re sushi beginners [and] they [haven’t] figured out what's different.”
For beginner diners, he recommends starting with a cooked handroll, such as the shrimp, crab or scallop options. Lim also recommends the nigiri, and his personal favorite is a toss up between the yellowtail and salmon belly.
“[The] warm rice and fish itself and topping—it's beautiful and just tastes really good,” Lim said.
Looking ahead
As Lim expands his culinary footprint in Austin, he plans to open another Asian food concept in Northwest Austin at Anderson Mill Road and Highway 183, serving up authentic Korean flavors. The restaurant, DUBU, is named after the Korean word for tofu and is slated to open in July.
Lim isn’t looking to add anything to the Yuki Handroll Bar menu at the moment, but in the future, he hopes to expand to a traditional omakase menu.
